Queen of the Night
by MizRae
Summary: This is a Kingdom Hearts story with some Final Fantasy characters and some stuff from GTA. I had to use some names for cities and people, and I'm not creative enough to come up with my own ideas. So I haven't decided who I will end up with, so here goes.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

It had been one year ago today- Lea had just disappeared. The day had been miserable so far- even though I'd only gotten through my first three periods.

I, of course, was pretty upset, and I was sure Reno and Sarah felt the same way. Reno and Lea were fraternal twins, my brothers. They were the comedians in our group of friends. They were always playing pranks on people and cracking jokes. And Sarah was Lea's girlfriend for three years before he disappeared.

A small tear formed in the corner of my eye as I walked out of the girls' bathroom. But a hand came to my face and wiped the tear away. I leaned into Zack's shoulder and stifled a sob as he wrapped his arms around me.

"I know it hurts, Rachel," Zack said, staring his blue eyes into my green ones. "But you have to accept that he's gone. Everyone loses the people they love at some time or another. Everyone has to go at some point."

"But he could still be alive…" I said quietly, returning Zack's stare.

"But how likely is that? It's like a one in a million chance that he'd still be alive. And if he was alive, then why wouldn't he come back to us? He'd be back by now," Zack whispered softly, twirling a lock of my long, red hair around one of his fingers.

"You have no hope? Then let's just drop the conversation," I said, pulling away from Zack but slipping my hand into his and heading toward the cafeteria.

"Okay, so you got any homework so far?" Zack asked, looking ahead. We were walking at a slow pace, watching everyone walk by.

"No. Usually don't on Fridays. And you?" I replied.

"Nope." There was a pause. "Hey, I'll catch up with you later. I need to speak with Mrs. Briggs about something," Zack said, kissing my cheek and turning around.

"See you later then," I said, smiling. I quickened my pace, eventually turning into the cafeteria.

There was no way I could eat feeling so miserable, so I bought a bottle of water and sat down between Genesis and Reno at our table. Sarah was across from me with Noctis next to her and across from Reno.

Sarah had been my best friend since fifth grade. It was just a random kind of meeting. She was talking about going ice skating, and I asked if I could go with her, and we were just friends ever since. Once we got into middle school, we became friends with some other people, and we had our rough times, but we got over it. We had another really good friend, Tori, who ended up moving to England when we were in tenth grade.

And Noctis, well, he was a shy person, though he covered it up by acting cool. He had transferred here in eleventh grade, and on his first day, no one wanted to talk to him, but all the girls swooned over him. He had looked really lonely, so I decided to be nice and actually have a conversation with him. I invited him to sit with us at lunch that day, and ever since then, we'd all been friends with him. Noctis had confessed that he really liked me several months ago, though since I had a boyfriend, I couldn't return his feelings.

"Hey," Genesis said. Even he sounded kind of upset, though he'd never met Lea. Genesis had transferred to our school, Liberty City High, right after Christmas break, and he'd automatically fitted into our odd group. It was now spring, with only about a month left before we all graduated. No one wanted to admit it, but once we got out of school, we'd all go our separate ways and probably never see each other again.

"Hey to you too," I replied, trying to sound as cheerful as possible, though I must have failed, since Genesis furrowed his brows and gave me a sad look. I bit my lip to keep myself from asking everyone how they were, since I already knew the obvious answer.

"Where's Zack?" Reno asked, slightly brushing his foot over mine under the table.

"He had to talk with Mrs. Briggs about something," I said, smiling and trapping Reno's foot between mine.

"Man, I hate that lady," Sarah said, looking puzzled at Reno's now aggravated face.

"Don't we all?" I replied, still holding my grip on Reno's foot.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see Tifa and Yuffie. They seemed pretty upset over things as well. Tifa had been my friend since we returned from Christmas break in ninth grade. We'd been pretty good friends, and enjoyed hanging out, but it wasn't like the friendship Yuffie and I shared. Nothing was like the friendship Yuffie and I shared.

Yuffie and I had been friends since we were three or four years old. My adoptive father, Salvatore Leone, was a Mafia boss, and Yuffie's father, Godo Kisaragi, offered his help, therefore causing Yuffie and me to spend a lot of time together. We hated each other at first. We'd even beat each other up and pull pranks on each other. But eventually we got over it and became the best of friends. Our bond was so strong that it was almost as if we could read each other's minds.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, standing up. Reno grabbed my water and took a drink before standing up with me. I grabbed the bottle from his hand and took a drink myself.

"Nothing much, just standing here," Tifa said, smiling. "So what are you doing later tonight?"

"Reno's inviting Leon over, so we're going to watch some scary movies."

"Oh, I see how it is. You won't invite your bestest buddy over, now will you?" Yuffie asked, pretending to look disappointed.

"Sorry, Yuffie. Would you like to come over too?" I asked, laughing.

"Nope, I can't. We're going to a party and we were wondering if you wanted to go, but since you're busy-"

"I'll go with you!" I yelled, cutting her off. "So where is it?"

"Well, it's in Vice City," Yuffie replied, scratching her head. She knew I hated Vice City since it was almost as bad as Liberty City. As soon as we reached age, we were all leaving and going to other worlds. I planned on going to Twilight Town, whereas everyone else planned on going to Radiant Garden.

"Do you know the people throwing the party?" I asked, my hand on my hips and my foot tapping. "Because it's dangerous down there. I know people down there that want Sal dead, and if they took me hostage, he'd go to save me, and he'd die. So you better be careful."

"Yes! I know the people. Kind of. Sort of? Well, not really. But Cloud does! So therefore, I say we trust him."

I turned to look at Reno, who sighed and put a hand to his head before saying, "I guess I'll just tell Leon we have a change of plans."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

I groaned and put a hand to my forehead.

_Man, I've got a killer headache. What the heck? This ISN'T my room!_

There was an arm draped over my waste and a face resting on mine, accompanied by light breathing. A warm hand was intertwined with my own and a lock of black hair was lying over my cheekbone. I recognized this hand belonged to Zack, and I automatically calmed down.

Everything would be fine- I was fully clothed, as was he, and the more my head cleared up, the easier I could recall the events that took place the night before…

***

I got into the backseat of Reno's silver Prototype-X along with Zack as Reno sat in the driver's seat and Leon in the passenger's. Everyone but Reno put on their seatbelt as Reno entered in the password that started the car.

"Hey," I said sternly, locking my eyes with Reno's in the rearview mirror. He cocked his head as if to say, "What?" I shook my head threateningly.

"Fine, if you insist," Reno said, putting his seatbelt on, but slipping the top half so it was behind him.

"Put it on right or what's the use?" I practically yelled.

"Why don't you make me?"

"Fine!" I unbuckled and grabbed Reno's seatbelt, fixing it so that it would help if we were in a crash. "Now listen, you idiot, you're my brother and I love you, so wear your seatbelt right, or you'll die."

"Whatever," Reno said, rolling his eyes backing out of the parking space as I took my seat again and put my seatbelt back on.

I closed my eyes as we started the short drive home. Reno's car drove smooth and all, but I got carsick pretty easily in any car other than my own. Reno had a terribly expensive silver Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Prototype-X with a electronic keyless entry and starting system, a large rear spoiler, suede seats, audio controls in the steering wheel, a max speed of 176 MPH, and a Bluetooth hands-free cellular phone interface system with voice recognition.

My car, on the other hand, was a royal purple Lamborghini Reventon with a six-speed E-gear, carbon ceramic breaks, and a top speed of 221 MPH. Okay, so mine wasn't as cool as Reno's, but it looked way cooler and could beat his car in a race any day. But fast, expensive sport cars were nothing when your father was a mobster.

"So we're going to a party in Vice City now?" Zack asked, slipping his hand into mine.

"Yeah. Yuffie says that Cloud knows the people throwing the party, but who knows? It's dangerous down there," Reno said. "Even if Cloud does know them, who says he can trust them? Sal would be pretty pissed if he heard what we're doing. So if he asks, then we're going to see a movie."

"What movie?" I asked, opening my eyes and leaning forward.

"Does it matter?" Reno asked, annoyed.

"Yeah, stupid. If he asks one of us, and then asks another of us and we answer differently, I think he'll notice that something's up."

"Oh. That's a good point. Sorry," Reno said, rubbing the back of his head and giving a cheesy smile.

"You silly boy. I forgive you," I said, laughing. "Let's say we're going to go see _The Ugly Truth._" All three boys groaned. "Hey! It's not like you're really going to go see it! Just act like you want to!"

"Why that one?" Leon asked, turning around in his seat to face me. His face was slightly pink, causing a smirk to force its way upon my face.

"Well, why _not_?" I asked. "Because it has sexual themes, and that _embarrasses_ you?"

"What the hell? No, that's _not_ it! I just… I don't know!" Leon yelled, frustrated and turning back around to the front.

"Well, it's okay. I think that's cute," I said, smiling even though he couldn't see it. I unbuckled and climbed over onto Zack's lap. I rested my head on his shoulder so that my nose was nuzzling his neck lightly.

"You can't just tell a guy that he has a cute quality, and then cuddle with your boyfriend," Zack said, laughing and wrapping his arms around me.

"Okay, okay. Well then, I'll just name two cute qualities you have," I said, running a long fingernail over Zack's jaw line, causing him to shiver lightly. I squealed and wrapped my arms around his neck. "That's too cute!"

"Stay kid-friendly back there," Reno said. "We're almost home, give it about five minutes and then you can have all the fun you want."

Zack's face reddened and I laughed, kissing him lightly and resting my head on his shoulder once again. I had just fallen into deep thought over the concept of 'us' when the car stopped and I heard Reno input a password to turn the car off and automatically lock the doors once we got out.

I groaned as Zack pushed the hair out of my face and opened his door.

"Carry me, I'm lazy," I whispered, wrapping my arms tightly around Zack's neck as he stood up and started walking toward the front door of my house. Reno opened the door, which was, stupidly enough, left unlocked all day.

"Someone will break in one day," Zack said, throwing me over his shoulder and walking in.

"Oh well, too bad for us," I said, sighing. I could feel that some of my skirt had been flipped up. "Flip my skirt down, Zack. You're _embarrassing_ me!"

"Why would you be embarrassed? It's just family and Leon," Zack said, setting me down on the hardwood entryway floor and flattening my skirt.

"Well, Leon may be embarrassed," Reno said, earning him a slap upside the head from Leon, who was now bright red.

"Hey Leon, you're like family. I don't really care if you see my underwear," I said, laughing and skipping toward the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Reno asked, looking around corners for Sal.

"Changing, of course! I need something more… sexy!"

"Well, I think you're sexy in what you're wearing now," Zack said, rubbing the back of his head.

"That better be because you think I'm sexy no matter what I'm wearing," I said, putting a hand on my hip, but winking before turning and running up the stairs.

I quickly picked out something, moving quietly, careful to listen to the odd conversation being held downstairs. The topic of choice: the volleyball team.

"No way, Rinoa is so much prettier than Rikku," Leon said.

"Not even. At least Rikku doesn't draw her eyebrows on," Reno retorted.

They must have turned to Zack for a verdict, for the next thing I heard was, "Sorry guys, I'm committed at the time being, and I have eyes for one woman and one woman only. And if that woman heard me saying something nice about another woman, I'd probably get shot."

"Well, isn't that the truth?" I said, walking down the stairs in a green and purple outfit, just in time to see Sal turn the corner with a donut in his hand.

"Where are you going? I thought you all were just going to stay here and watch some movies!" Sal said, straining to keep himself from yelling.

"We decided to go see a movie instead, Daddy," I said using the sweetest voice I could manage. I always called Sal 'Daddy' to his face. If he knew we went around calling him Sal, he'd probably throw us out.

"Oh, yeah?" Sal asked suspiciously. "What movie?" His tone was slick, as if he knew we were all lying.

"_The Ugly Truth_," we all said in unison, earning us a raised eyebrow. There was a lot of tension in the air.

Sal muttered something under his breath, and then "I swear, if you kids are going out to some party, there will be consequences that you could never imagine."

"Okay, Daddy. We'll see you later then," I said, quickly walking over to the door, followed by the boys.

"Let's take your car," Reno and I both said in unison. We stopped in our tracks and looked directly into each other's eyes.

"We took my car to school," Reno said quietly, but still forcefully.

"Well my car is prettier, so if something happens to it, then it'll matter more," I whispered back loudly.

"We're taking your car!" Reno yelled softly, opening the backdoor and getting in. Leon sat beside him, leaving Zack in the passenger's seat and me to drive. It was only about an hour away if I traveled at the speed limit. But since I knew no one else traveled at the right speed, then I didn't have to either.

"How long?" Reno asked, putting on a pair of sunglasses and buckling up. He knew to buckle up right in my car, or else he wouldn't be riding in it.

"How about… fifteen?" I guessed, backing out of the driveway and swerving into the middle of the road. "Make that ten."

When you have adrenaline in your veins and you're driving a car, you have a need for speed that no matter how high the number may be, it just wasn't quick enough. I passed by four police stations, none of which seemed to notice that I was speeding by about 190 MPH over the limit- 224 MPH almost the whole way there.

But by the time you get to your destination, it's all like it never really happened. It's over just as soon as it began. And that rush… it's gone.

I stepped out of my car, which was parked across from a condo full of people, flashing lights, and music too loud to understand.

I was starting to regret my choice of a short skirt-that was until I saw Yuffie, who was in her short shorts as usual, and Sarah who was in a short skirt as well. Yuffie was acting like she had drunk enough to give her alcohol poisoning.

"Hey… It's Rachel… and who's this?" Yuffie asked, giggling and poking Leon in the ribs.

"Yuffie, how much have you drunk since you got here?" I asked, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Enough to knock a horse out," Sarah said, walking toward us. She looked really nice- a short white skirt and a yellow t-shirt with a hot pink flower in the lower corner, and some yellow pumps to top the outfit off.

"Of course. Why else would Yuffie want to come to a party out here? I mean, she wants to drink herself to death," I said, shaking my head and taking a glass of H2O from a lady walking by with several drinks in her hand.

"You're talking about Yuffie getting drunk, and here you are getting a drink yourself," Zack said, taking the glass from my hand and taking a drink himself.

"It's just one drink!" I protested, taking the drink back and finishing off the glass. I set it on a nearby table and took another drink, though I couldn't tell what it was even by taking a drink.

***

I could remember talking with Sarah for a while, but not what we had talked about. And something important had happened, but I had no idea what. I just remembered feeling like I was going to die at any minute.

I forced myself to get out of bed, just to realize I was in Zack's room at his house. But why wasn't I at my house?

I walked out of Zack's room and down the hall past an open door, where I could see Zack's best friend and mentor, Angeal Hewley, sprawled out shirtless across his bed. I giggled at the image and walked along to the end of the hall and started heading down the stairs.

When I looked out the front door, I realized why I was at Zack's house instead of my own- my Lamborghini Reventon had been keyed to the point of no fixing.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

"So what am I supposed to do?" I asked Zack, who was now awake and fixing himself a cup of tea.

"Sorry, but I truthfully don't know any way to fix this," Zack replied, running a hand through his hair and looking toward the doorway as Angeal walked in.

"Good morning," Angeal said, grabbing a muffin from a basket setting on the kitchen table.

"Not really," I replied, looking out of the kitchen window to where my car was sitting on the curb in front of Zack's house. "Sal is going to kill me. I'm going to die. I just know it." My words were running together so that it was hard to understand what was being said.

"Can't you just ask for the money to buy another one?" Angeal asked.

"It's not as simple as that! He's going to want to know _why _my car is a total mess! I mean, a car wouldn't, _couldn't_, get keyed to a point like that at the movies. There are always police on duty at the movies on a Friday evening. And then he'll figure out that we went to the party, and then he'll kill me for lying to him. He'll think I went to Vice City for something other than a party and then he won't trust me anymore, and then I'll be dead."

"Hey, it'll be okay. We can take care of this," Zack said, walking up behind me and setting his head on my shoulder. "I don't approve of lying in the first place, but I'll do it if it need be. We can just say that some kids from school did it or something."

"I can't tell a lie like that, Zack. I'll just tell him the truth. This sucks. I can't even think straight," I said, sighing and pulling away from Zack. I walked into the living room and noticed Cloud lying on the couch asleep. He had his mouth open and was snoring quietly. I sat softly on his legs, causing him to pull his blanket over his head.

"No… evil turtles… away…" Cloud mumbled, thrashing his arms around wildly.

"Hey!" I said, giggling and grabbing his arms. "Get up. It's like, 11:45. Don't you want lunch?"

"What?" Cloud sat up, apparently a little too quickly. He held his head in his hand and pushed his cover off of himself. "Damn, I think I have a hangover."

"It's okay. It should pass quickly," I said, giggling and standing up. "So where's Reno?"

"Oh, he went to Leon's. He's too scared to go home. He called Sal last night and told him that you were staying at Yuffie's for the night and he was staying at Leon's and that you all would be home whenever," Zack said, walking into the living room as well. He and Angeal sat on the loveseat across from the couch where Cloud and I were.

"So what exactly happened last night?" I asked, sitting back down after Cloud had moved his legs over. "I remember drinking like, two drinks, and then talking with Sarah. And I've got no idea what happened after that."

"Well, let's just say, you're pretty wild when you drink," Cloud said, laughing. "You and Sarah got into a fistfight with some girl named Cheyenne. You guys won, of course. And you flirted with pretty much everyone, so Zack had to drag you along with him everywhere. And some people decided to key your car after you made some rude remarks and totally humiliated them in front of twenty or thirty people. And then the cops came, and a bunch of us got arrested, including you."

"Whoa, I got arrested? For what?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Underage drinking. And then for assaulting a police officer," Zack said, laughing.

"I had to come bail you guys out," Angeal said, turning on the television. "You don't have any idea how much money it costs to bail eight people out of jail. I had to take money from my savings." He flipped to the news, where a house was burning down. "Man, that's a nice house." The captions at the bottom of the screen were explaining about how the house had been torched, along with the trees on the area, the vehicles, the marina, and the guest house.

"Yeah. Sucks for them people. I bet…" Zack's voice trailed off. We all sat there for a few moments before I screamed.

"MY HOUSE! IT'S ON FIRE! IT'S BURNING DOWN!" I yelled, standing up and waving my arms wildly.

"Calm down! Maybe it's not your house! Maybe it's just a coincidence! It could be anyone's house. All the houses on your street look similar," Cloud said, standing up as well.

"I don't think so! That's my house! I know that's my house!" I ran upstairs and into Zack's room, pulling my cell phone out of my purse. I noticed I had 17 missed calls. Twelve were from Reno, three from Sarah, and two from Sal. I dialed Reno's number and pressed the phone to my ear, allowing it to ring a few times before he picked up.

"Reno? Have you seen the news?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah. Who hasn't?" Reno replied.

"Are you still at Leon's? I want to go by there. I don't want to go home."

"I'm about to leave. I just needed to make sure you were okay first. I don't want to go home either. But we can't stay in town."

I looked out Zack's window as I noticed a car pull up across the street. I felt myself choking on my spit. "W-why not?" I accidentally knocked over a lamp as I jumped over Zack's bed and ran out of his room.

"Rachel!" Zack yelled up the stairs. "Come here! What's going on?"

"Terra called and said Sal's guys dropped by his place to see if we were there," Reno replied. His words were quick and difficult to understand.

"They're here…" I said quietly. I leaned against a wall and slid down it so that my knees were drawn up to my chin.

"What? There? Don't stay, you have to leave. I think that Sal believes that we turned on him, and that we were the ones who burnt down the house. He wouldn't have any other reason to send anyone."

"Who cares what he thinks?!" I yelled. I hung the phone up and stood up. "I was never here, okay?" I yelled down the stairs. I ran into Zack's room and forced my boots that I had worn yesterday on and stuck my phone in one since I didn't have a pocket on my skirt. I rummaged through Zack's nightstand drawer until I found a small pistol, which I stuck in my other boot.

"Okay, so what's the best way out of here?" I asked myself under my breath. I ran across the hall and opened Angeal's window, which led to the backyard. I managed to climb halfway out before Zack walked into the room and grabbed my arm.

"What is going on?" Zack asked, trying to pull me back into the room.

"Sal's men are here to take me out! If you don't let me go, then they'll kill you, too," I said softly, pulling away. "I'm not letting you get hurt just because Sal is an idiot that can't trust anyone. Reno and I have to leave town. And I don't know when, or even _if_, I'll be back. I'm just not safe here."

"We can take them. I know we can. Why won't you even try to fight back?" Zack asked, his voice higher than usual. I turned away from him and shook my head. "Rachel, I love you. I won't let you just leave me like this."

"It's not that easy. I'm sorry," I replied. I turned back to him. "If you really love me, then just let me go." I took his hand in mine, rubbing the back of it with my thumb before pulling away and stepping onto a ledge along the side of the house. I edged my way over to where the back porch was and eased myself onto the awning before jumping into the yard and looking around.

***

I watched as Rachel jumped into the grass and ran through our yard and then the neighbors. Then she just disappeared. She was gone, just like that. And she hadn't said she loved me back.

I left Angeal's room and walked downstairs, where Cloud and Angeal were waiting for me.

"So, is she okay?" Cloud asked, moving over so that I could sit next to him.

"She's gone," I said. I was staring into the television, watching the house that was unmistakably Rachel's burn so that there was nothing visible but smoke and flames. She'd spent so many years in that house, had so many memories there.

"What do you mean by 'gone'?" Angeal asked, standing up. He'd always acted like Rachel was a daughter of his own. He protected her the way he protected me.

"She doesn't love me back," I said absentmindedly. I was so confused. She just left me, forever.

***

I ran through Zack's yard, then their neighbors', and across into the next street over. I didn't dare look back as I ran down the sidewalk toward a nearby grocery store- or at least I didn't until I heard a vehicle approaching me.

I turned and saw Reno driving alongside me.

"Get in," he said, stopping the car. I opened the door and sat in the passenger seat without bothering to buckle up. Reno had starting driving again before I had even managed to close my door.

"Where are we going?" I asked, out of breath from running.

"I don't know. Where do you want to go?" Reno asked, turning a corner. I shook my head- it didn't matter where we went as long as we weren't here.

"Anywhere. How about somewhere no one from here has ever heard of?" I asked, looking at Reno, who was looking out the window instead of paying attention to the road.

"How about Midgar?" Reno asked, turning to face me.

"What?" I had no idea what he was talking about. "What is that?"

"I don't know. I read it in a book once," Reno said, turning away from me again. He ran a hand through his hair- a sign of deception.

"Did you really now?" my voice was low and unreadable.

"You think I'm lying?" Reno sounded shocked.

"Yeah, I do," I started. There was a sudden sound almost like thunder- a sound that only the children of a mobster would recognize to be an explosion.

Reno slammed on the brakes, causing the car to swerve so that it turned back around to where we were driving from. Smoke was rising from near Zack's house, causing me to panic. I gasped and leaned forward.

"We can't stay," Reno said, turning the car back around. My phone vibrated in my boot.

"Why?!" I yelled, pulling the phone out. I rolled down the window and slammed it onto the ground, tears falling from my eyes. "This isn't fair!"

"Well, sometimes life isn't fair, but we still have to deal with it." Reno accelerated the car and I turned around to look at Vice City and a number of my friends for the last time in my life.


End file.
